Two Sentenced To Prison For Counterfeit Credit Card Scheme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 20, 2011

PITTSBURGH, Pa. ‑ Khatri Diallo was sentenced in federal court to 21 months in prison on his conviction of conspiracy to commit credit card fraud, possession of 15 or more credit cards and possession of a device to produce counterfeit credit cards, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today. Also, Lorenzo Jackson was sentenced to 18 months in prison on his conviction of conspiracy to commit credit card fraud, possession of 15 or more credit cards and possession of a device to produce counterfeit credit cards.

United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentences on Khatri Diallo, 25; and Lorenzo Jackson, 30.

According to information presented to the court, Jackson and Diallo were involved in a conspiracy to commit credit a card fraud scheme whereby they traveled with others from Ohio to Pennsylvania and other states to obtain prepaid gift and credit cards, use them, and re‑encode them with stolen credit card numbers to purchase additional prepaid credit cards and merchandise. A laptop with software to operate a magnetic strip reader/encoder is used to re‑encode the magnetic strip of the prepaid cards with stolen credit card information. Typically, the credit card numbers on the sales receipt generated does not match the credit card numbers on the card. Jackson and Diallo had in their possession over 100 gift and credit cards that had been magnetically re-encoded with other stolen credit card numbers.

Assistant United States Attorney Paul E. Hull prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the United States Secret Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Diallo and Jackson.